Happenstance
by Midna3452
Summary: Modern times- When sent out by his butler to get some "needed" excercise, Ciel runs into a boy that appears all-too-familiar. But, is this seemingly innocent boy really all that he seems? And what happens when other familiar faces start to appear as well? DISCONTINUED AS OF NOW.
1. Part I

**A/N: Finally, I managed to write a _Kuroshitsuji_ fanfic! I've been in love with this anime for a LONG time, but I never got any good ideas for a story about it . . . until now, that is! I won't say much about it, because I want it to speak for itself- you just need to know that this follows the anime plotline and in fact takes place after the anime is over, so . . .**

**WARNING: MAJOR ANIME ENDING SPOILERS!**

**Besides that fact, I hope you all enjoy it! ^.^**

**Disclaimer: Sebastian, I order you to make me the owner of _Kuroshitsuji!_ . . . It didn't work, did it? Darn it . . . -_-**

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><p><strong>Happenstance<strong>

_Somewhere in England, during the present day . . ._

The cobalt-haired boy walked along the street with his head down and his eyes on the sidewalk in front of him. He was thinking of how ridiculous it was for him to be outside on a day like this- sunny, warm, birds chirping merrily in the trees overhead.

Oh, how he disliked days like these. He didn't used to, though; many years ago he would have been jumping up and down with excitement and begging his parents to let him play outside under the soft, blue sky. It was only since "that day," as he referred to it, that he couldn't stand the sunlight; well, not that he _couldn't_ stand it exactly, he just preferred not to.

So, of course, it was on this type of day that his butler suddenly decided that he needed some exercise.

"Pfft, _ridiculous_," the boy muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn't need _exercise_; he was an immortal creature of darkness! It wasn't like his appearance was going to change, even if he _did_ decide to eat three cakes is one sitting . . . Not that he would, of course- those types of foods had lost their appeal years ago. All the same, his butler insisted that he go for a little walk around the block, if for no other reason than to get out of the house for a bit; the boy had, admittedly, been sulking in his room for the past few weeks.

"So I shut myself in my room for a bit," the boy said, annoyed, kicking a stone off the curb and into the street, where it was instantly run over by a passing car. "I'm still a child- what does he expect?"

The boy glared at the ground even harder. He'd been a child for longer than he'd ever hoped he'd have to endure, and he knew that this wasn't going to change anytime soon. He thought he deserved the right to sulk- he'd had to suffer much more than a normal child of his age should, and what had he gotten out of it? Eternal life in the body of a twelve-year-old, with no other friends besides his butler (who wasn't really his friend anyway, seeing as he only stayed by his side as a result of the Contract and had in fact tried to kill him the moment he'd realized what the boy had become).

"Stupid demon butler," he mumbled darkly. As he continued to dwell over his current predicament- getting even angrier as he did so-, he failed to notice the person running swiftly in his direction until it was too late.

"Oof!" he grunted as they collided with such force that they were both sent sprawling on their backs. Recovering instantly, the boy sat up and glared at the offender who had knocked him over. He was about to demand an apology, when he suddenly froze, staring as the other person sat up.

It was a boy about his age- or, more accurately, the age he_ appeared_ to be. The other boy had on a dark purple hoodie, unzipped to reveal a green t-shirt with the name of a popular band written across it in black underneath. He was also wearing white sneakers and navy blue gym shorts that went a bit more than halfway down his thighs- not quite short enough to be considered _too_ short, but definitely on the verge of getting there.

But, this was not what made the ever-resolute, rarely to be caught off-guard Ciel Phantomhive gape as if his butler had suddenly sprouted bunny ears and a tail and started hopping away. What made him stare was the boy's all-too-familiar face.

He had a relatively sharp jaw line and slightly rounded cheeks, which were currently flushed from the effort of running. His thin lips were curved in an apologetic smile, and his bright, nearly iridescent blue eyes made him look like a sweet, innocent child. All of these features were framed by a curtain of golden-blonde hair, with bangs swept haphazardly to the left side of the boy's face.

"Sorry about that!" he said in a voice that was so familiar it made Ciel shudder. "I guess I was so focused on the ground 'cause I didn't wanna trip that I forgot to look in front of me, too!"

He laughed, and Ciel's eyes widened at the proverbial sound.

"Al . . . Alois?" he whispered, gazing at the boy intently. The boy frowned and cocked his head to one side.

"Excuse me?" he questioned.

"Alois," Ciel repeated. He pointed a finger at the boy accusingly. "You're . . . You're Alois Trancy!"

"Um, what?" The boy made a move to push Ciel's hand away, but Ciel snatched it back quickly, as if afraid of having the boy touch it. The boy's frown deepened. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't _lie_ to me, Alois!" Ciel hissed, jumping up to stand over the boy menacingly. "There's no denying it's you- I can't mistake your face! Why the hell did you come back? More importantly, _how_ did you come back? _Tell me now!"_

"Whoa, calm down!" the boy exclaimed, starting to get a bit unnerved. "I'm not lying to you; I don't know any Alois Trancy! And I've never seen _you_ before either!"

This denial was too much for Ciel; he let out a low growl, grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt, and hoisted him up so that their faces were level. His left eye flashed from its normally deep blue to a glowing aurora pink, and the blonde-haired boy let out a yelp of fright.

"W-what the hell?" he gasped, trying to break free of Ciel's grasp, but this little boy with an eye patch had an unusually strong grip for someone so young. "Hey, calm down! I'm not this 'Alois' guy- really! My name is James! James Miccan! Please, you've gotta believe me!"

Ciel continued to snarl at the boy for a few minutes, searching his face for any sign that he was lying. However, he could find no hint of trickery in that innocent-looking visage; the only emotions he could detect were fear and a hint of wary curiosity.

"Damn it!" Ciel muttered loudly, unceremoniously dropping James back onto the sidewalk. As the glow in his eye disappeared, he turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose, placing his other hand on his hip.

_Great!_ He thought, sighing in agitation. _I just very nearly revealed my true nature to a _complete_ stranger . . . Well, hopefully he's like all the other kids these days who don't believe in that sort of thing and think my eye color was just a trick of the light. He looks _so much_ like Alois, though . . . Argh, what should I do?_

While this inner turmoil was taking place within Ciel, James had managed to remove the frightened, shocked look that had been plastered on his face. There was just no way that a boy of Ciel's age could have that much strength; trying to remove his grip had felt like trying to tear off a chunk of marble. Plus, what was up with that _eye?_ And why was the other one covered with an eye patch?

James decided that he might as well try and figure out what was going on with this strange kid. The boy had piqued his interest- he wanted to know why the boy had confused him with this "Alois Trancy," and why he seemed to hate Alois so much in the first place.

_Besides, it's not like I have anything important to do today anyway,_ James thought as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his shorts. He then turned his gaze on Ciel and waited for a moment to introduce himself, but after a few minutes he realized that the boy seemed thoroughly distracted; he was pacing and muttering something about a butler, and it didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon.

"Um, excuse me," James said, tapping Ciel on the shoulder. Ciel instantly whirled around and caught his hand in an iron grip, before realizing that James was just trying to get his attention and releasing it.

"S-sorry for startling you," James apologized as Ciel's gaze bored into his. "I just thought that maybe we could have a chat and try to, uh, sort this out? Maybe we can figure out why I look so much like this 'Alois Trancy,' and I have to admit that now I'm kind of wondering why you hate him so much. So, should we start with the introductions? Properly, I mean?" He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm James Miccan."

Ciel frowned; why did that name sound distantly familiar?

_Ah, well,_ he thought, shaking his head to clear away the weird sensation. _It's probably because this kid looks so much like Alois- anything he says is going to sound strange to me._ He grasped James' hand in his own.

"Ciel Phantomhive," Ciel announced, and James' eyes widened.

"'Ciel Phantomhive?'" he echoed once his hand had been released. "Wasn't Phantomhive the name of a high-ranking family that used to live in England a while ago?" Ciel's jaw dropped slightly, but James continued on. "Yeah, they used to own a toy and candy company! And their last heir was named Ciel!"

Ciel blanched. After all these years, he was _sure_ that his name had died out of society a long time ago. In fact, Sebastian had asked all around England before they moved back to their home country, and he had assured his Master that the name "Phantomhive" didn't ring a bell to anyone. That was the only reason Ciel felt comfortable using it again.

So how was it that James knew about something that no one else did?

"My dad loves to tell me stories about the old noble families of England," James explained when he sensed Ciel was going to ask how he knew this information. "Almost no one cares about that stuff anymore, so my dad told me that I had to keep those pieces of history alive." He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I really _like_ learning about those families- the Phantomhives are one of my favorites. Their story's so tragic, but intriguing at the same time, don't you think?"

"Oh, well, I . . . I don't really know the story too well, I'm afraid," Ciel said, trying to make up an excuse. "I'm . . . from a _different_ line of Phantomhives."

Ciel grimaced; that lie was so obvious it was painful. He made a mental note to have Sebastian help him work on his deception skills. However, to Ciel's surprise, James seemed to believe what he was saying.

"Oh, I see," James said, nodding in understanding. "I'm sure everyone has a family with the same name out there somewhere. It's just a funny coincidence, seeing as how you're both British and all, right?" He chuckled, and Ciel laughed along hollowly, wondering in the back of his mind if James was ever going to think that this was _too much_ of a coincidence. Suddenly, James smiled eagerly.

"Do you wanna know about what happened to them?" he asked enthusiastically. "Most people don't care about that stuff, but seeing as how you share the same name I wonder if you'd be interested . . ."

"Sure, so ahead and tell me," Ciel replied. He _was_ in fact curious as to what James knew; was the tragic tale of the Phantomhive family the same as it had been all those years ago, or had it gotten warped over time into something completely false?

"Really?" James asked, beaming even brighter. Ciel nodded and averted his gaze quickly; it was unnerving how an expression of happiness could look so out of place on the face of Alois Trancy, even if the soul behind it wasn't the same. James lightly tugged on Ciel's sleeve and pointed to a nearby bench. "Let's go sit over there; this might take a while, and I wanna get out of the middle of the sidewalk."

The two boys walked over to the bench and sat down. James was silent for a few seconds, gathering all his knowledge on the Phantomhive legacy. Then he turned to Ciel, looked him straight in the eye, and began.

"The Phantomhives were a prominent noble British family in the 1800s who owned a toy and confectionary company called the Funtom Co. They also expanded into food a tiny bit by inventing these things called 'curry buns;' they're not so big in England now, but I hear they still make them a lot in India. Anyway, so they were doing really well business-wise, but unfortunately the last adults, Vincent and Rachel, were killed in a fire and left behind their only heir, a boy named Ciel. The story of what happened after that is still up for debate, but some people say that he disappeared for a few months and then suddenly returned with a mysterious butler."

Ciel tried to keep his expression composed, despite the shock he felt- James seemed to know an unusual amount of information about his background for a kid from the twenty-first century.

"Ciel stayed in control of the Estate and the family business for about three years, but then he disappeared again," James continued. "I heard that a few days after he was last seen, a note was sent out to his friends saying that he'd passed away. They set up a grave for him in the cemetery near his old house, you know." Ciel nodded; he had in fact seen his grave when he returned to England. Actually, he was curious as to what they had buried there. An empty coffin, perhaps? Undertaker had probably been sad that Ciel couldn't enjoy the "custom coffin" he'd been planning to build for him . . .

"Hey, are you still listening?" James asked, waving a hand in front of Ciel's face. The cobalt-haired boy blinked, coming back to his senses.

"Oh, yes," he said quickly. "Please continue. So they buried Ciel . . ."

"Yeah, well, that was kind of the end of the family line." Ciel nodded again, expecting him to be finished. However, before Ciel could say anything, a sly look came over James' face and he leaned towards him. "But do you wanna know something else? I heard that the Phantomhives served a double life- as well as running the Funtom Co., they were also known as the Queen's 'guard dogs.' They were the ones who sniffed out all the criminal activity going on in England and got rid of it. And I don't mean the regular stuff like thefts- I mean the really _dark_ stuff, like murders and strange disappearances. They were supposedly the ones who solved the 'Jack the Ripper' case!"

Ciel's mouth fell open. This was a little _too _much information for a normal boy to know, especially since no one but a few select people had known about the Phantomhives being the Queen's guard dogs.

"How . . . how did you find out about all this?" he asked tentatively, not sure what to think of James at the moment. The blonde frowned and ran a hand through his hair.

"You know, I'm not exactly sure . . .," he replied. "I don't really remember my dad telling me . . . but he must've, because I don't know how I could've found out about it otherwise."

"You mean to tell me that you honestly don't remember where you heard that information?" Ciel asked, getting agitated. James shrugged.

"Sorry, I'd tell you if I knew! Besides, who knows if it's really true or not; that was a _long_ time ago. The only people who'd truly know the answer would be the Phantomhives themselves." He noticed Ciel staring at him suspiciously. "What? Did I say something?"

"No, no, it's just that-"

The boys were startled as the tune of a popular song filled the air. Ciel reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a cell phone, sighing in annoyance when he saw the name of the person calling him.

"_What?"_ he snapped, flipping open the phone and holding it up to his ear.

"Hello, my young Lord. Have you been enjoying your walk?" replied the familiar voice of his butler.

"It's been . . . interesting, to say the least." Ciel shot a glance at James, who was gazing at him questioningly. Ciel held up a finger indicating for him to wait a moment.

"Ah, is that so?" Sebastian said, and Ciel could hear the smirk in his voice. The boy scowled.

"What are you calling me for, anyway?"

"I just wanted to inform you that I have everything set up for your piano lesson once you return."

Ciel sighed; even though he was a demon, Sebastian still insisted on tutoring him as if he were back in the Phantomhive manor.

"Alright, I'll be there in a bit," Ciel said. "Just make sure it's a piece I like- I don't feel like trifling with anything I hate today."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian replied. "Which piece would you prefer?"

"If you have to ask after all this time, then you really haven't been paying attention to me at all."

"My Lord, I-"

Ciel snapped the phone shut, effectively ending the conversation.

"Who was _that_?" James questioned.

"Just an annoying teacher," Ciel sighed again. He stood up. "I really ought to be getting back home soon."

"Aw, really? But it was so fun chatting with you!" James said, standing up as well. "It's not very often you get to meet a Phantomhive!"

Ciel opened his mouth to deny the relation once again, but James held up a hand.

"I know, I know, different blood line. It's just a cool coincidence."

"Yes, right," Ciel agreed. He stared at James intently. "Are you _positive_ that you don't remember how you learned all that information about them?"

"Like I said, I have _no_ idea where I got it from. Sorry!"

"It's fine." Ciel made a mental note to investigate this further; there was still just too much of a correlation between him running into a boy who not only looked exactly like Alois Trancy, but who knew the secret of the Phantomhives as well to be considered a coincidence.

"Then will you be around tomorrow? Maybe we could meet up again," James suggested, and Ciel nodded.

"Yes, I'd like to hear some more of those stories you're so fond of telling," Ciel replied. "We'll keep in touch."

He started to walk, but James called after him.

"How?"

"Don't worry, I'll find you," Ciel replied over his shoulder. He continued to stroll down the sidewalk and was almost to the corner, when suddenly he felt an intense shiver run up his spine. He stopped dead in his tracks.

_What _is_ this feeling?_ he wondered. _It's so familiar . . . Just like when Trancy was around-_

Suddenly he whipped around to find James right behind him, staring at him with a wicked sneer. It was as if something had completely taken over the blonde; his sapphire eyes gleamed with a mischievousness that had not been there before. He took a step towards Ciel, who quickly backed away.

"I hope your life as a demon is going well, Ciel," James said, smirking. Ciel's eyes widened.

"How did you . . ."

James laughed and stuck out his tongue. Ciel gasped as he saw imprinted on it an upside down, glowing amber star surrounded by a circle, which he _knew_ had not been there a moment ago.

"Alois!" he exclaimed, and the blonde cackled and took off at an alarming speed in the opposite direction. Ciel raced after him, using all of his demonic swiftness. However, it was as if the boy had completely disappeared off the face of the Earth; even with Ciel's heightened senses, he was unable to locate or keep up with him.

After a while, Ciel decided to abandon the search. Tired, angry, and still a bit stunned and confused by what had just happened, he started to once again head home, mulling over that last encounter along the way.

He knew for a fact that James had definitely _not_ been Alois Trancy- even though his looks were the same, everything else about him was different. Even his _soul_ had been different, which Ciel had realized once he had calmed down after the initial shock of seeing Alois' double. From what Ciel could sense, James' soul had been _way_ too innocent to be anything close to what Sebastian had described Alois' as being.

Still, what had just happened? It was as if James had been possessed, though why the Contract would suddenly appear on his tongue Ciel had no idea. He would have to have Sebastian investigate this as soon as he got back to the house.

_After all, if Sebastian couldn't figure out what had happened, what kind of butler would he be?_ Ciel thought, smirking to himself. He picked up his pace and continued towards his house, wondering when the mystery of the boy who looked like Alois Trancy would be solved.

He also wondered if this investigation would get him out of his piano lesson . . .

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><p>James finally stopped running when he got to the docks near the river. He slid into a space behind two huge crates and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. His mind felt foggy and he couldn't think straight; all he could recall was that for some reason Ciel had gotten mad at him and started to chase him, calling him "Alois" again.<p>

James gasped as a voice identical to his own started to speak in the back of his mind.

_Good job, James,_ it said, and the blonde looked around frantically, trying to find it. _Stop that- you'll hurt yourself if you keep swiveling your head like that! Don't be alarmed; you're the only one who can hear me._

James eventually calmed down enough to ask, in a low whisper: "Who_ are_ you?"

The voice laughed.

_I'm Alois Trancy, my dear James!_

"'Alois?'" James echoed, the cloudiness in his head making it increasingly harder to focus.

_Mm-hmm! I just came back for a quick visit and to check up on that devious little Ciel- knowing him, I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd found some way to break the demon curse . . ._

"But who . . . why . . .?" James was finding it difficult to form coherent sentences; he just wanted to lie down and sleep.

_Who am I, exactly?_ Alois voiced the question for him. _That's a _long_ story . . . maybe I'll tell you some other time. Now that I can, I plan to come for a visit every once and a while! _He chuckled, and then added: _Oh, and if you're wondering why _you're _the one whose head I'm inside of, it's because you're from the same bloodline as me. Turns out I had a long-lost sister who managed to pass along the Trancy lineage. Go figure._

James tried to respond, tried to ask him all of the questions that were hanging on the tip of his tongue, but the tiredness had nearly taken him over. As his eyes closed and he started to lose consciousness, he heard Alois' voice one last time.

_You're not going to remember this, just so you know. But don't worry- I'll be back sooner than you think, my lovely descendant!_

The last thing James heard was Alois' laugh, before the world went black.

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><p>The blonde-haired boy opened his eyes to find sunlight streaming down onto his face. Groggily, he sat up and looked around, frowning when he realized that he was sitting behind two crates at what appeared to be the dock of the river.<p>

"How did I get here . . .?" he wondered aloud, standing up cautiously. He slid out from the cramped spot and gazed around, bewildered for a moment. Deciding that he'd better figure out how long he had been asleep for, he tapped a man carrying a large barrel on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what day it is?" he asked.

"Saturday," the man grunted, not pausing for a conversation.

"_Saturday?"_ the boy repeated, shocked. The last time he'd checked, it had been _Friday._ He remembered that he'd gone out for a jog, and then . . . it was all a blank until now.

His parents must be worried sick. The blonde quickly set off in the direction of his house, trying to recall what had transpired over the last day. As he rounded a corner and stepped onto the sidewalk, one image presented itself, etched prominently into his mind:

A deep, dark blue eye suddenly flashing to a glowing, aurora pink.

The boy paused; where had he seen that eye? Try as he might, he couldn't recall anything else but that one image. After a few seconds, he shrugged and picked up his pace, wanting to get home as soon as possible and have a nice, steaming hot cup of tea.

As he broke into a run, he could have sworn he heard a voice identical to his own laughing in the back of his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I have seen Alois' real name written as McCain <em>and<em> Macken- for the sake of this fanfic, I chose to use "McCain." (If you don't get why I'm telling you this, then don't worry about it.)**

**A/N: Please tell me what you think! If a lot of people like it, I may continue (but I'm not making any guarantees)! ;)**


	2. Part II

**A/N: I've decided to continue this story! I'm not sure how long it'll be, and I doubt it'll be updated as frequently as many of you would like, but I think you'll enjoy it all the same!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything _Kuroshitsuji_ related, just the concept for the story (and James and Lukas).**

**Part II**

"James Miccan, where in God's name have you been?"

"Mum!" James exclaimed the moment he saw his mother standing in the kitchen doorway. He rushed over and gripped her in a tight hug.

After James had woken up on the docks, he had immediately run straight home. He still didn't know how he had ended up there, but he had a feeling that the Ciel Phantomhive boy he'd met earlier had had something to do with it. Also, he kept thinking he heard the faint, fading echoes of laughter. The voice sounded like his, yet at the same time it was completely different. However, he brushed this off as just a figment of his imagination.

"I'm sorry, Mum," James apologized, comforted by the familiar warmth of his mother's arms around him. "I don't know what happened. I was taking a walk and . . . then suddenly I was down by the docks."

He decided it was best not to mention his encounter with Ciel. His mother was a very superstitious person, and he knew that she would see his meeting with a child possessing such a tragic name as a very bad omen.

"You had your father and I worried sick!" said woman was yelling, now holding James' face in her hands.

"I know; I'm sorry."

His mother's stern gaze bored into his for a moment, and then she sighed and hugged him again, pressing her face against his hair.

"I just glad you're alright," she said, her voice muffled by her son's golden locks. After giving him another tight squeeze, she released him and stepped back, She gazed at him from the top of his head to his toes, as if she were appraising a piece of furniture for damage.

"I'm fine, Mum," James said, laughing a bit to reassure her. His mother raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, that's for me to decide. Now, why don't you go up to your room and rest? I'll bring you up some tea."

"Okay." James started for the stairs, but he paused just as his foot touched the bottom step. "Mum, can I call Lukas?"

"James, I want you to stay here for the rest of the day," his mother replied, and James resisted the urge to stomp his foot impatiently.

"He can come over; I won't have to go out. _Please,_ Mum?" James needed to tell _someone_ what had really happened (or at least the part he could remember), and his best friend seemed like the most logical choice. His mother stared at him, her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. James opened his blue eyes as wide as he could and stuck out his bottom lip slightly, using his ultimate weapon: the "puppy dog" face. Sure enough, after a few seconds his mother sighed and threw up her hands in defeat.

"Fine, Lukas can come over. Just do something quiet while you rest, okay? No roughhousing, do you hear me?" she said firmly, and James nodded intently.

"Sure thing! Thanks!" He gave his mother a quick grin and dashed upstairs, grabbing the phone in the middle of the hallway before he ran into his room and shut the door, flopping down on his bed. He punched in the number of Lukas' cell phone and waited. It rang twice before there was a click and a young-sounding male voice answered.

"Hey! What's up, James?"

"Lukas! Can you come over?" James asked, and he could almost see Lukas frowning on the other end of the phone.

"What, right this second?" Lukas responded, and James tapped his free hand against the covers impatiently.

"Yes, right this second; I've got something important to tell you!"

"Okay, okay, I'll be there in five minutes."

"'Kay, see you!"

"Bye!" Lukas hung up and James did the same. He put the phone down on the dresser and rested his arm over his eyes, blocking out the light. He was starting to drift off when he heard the doorbell ring. Instantly waking up, he ran downstairs, nearly tripping his mother, who was in the process of bringing tea up to his room. A brief apology later, James opened the door to reveal a boy about his age, though he looked a lot younger. His short, reddish-brown hair framed a round, child-like face, and the way his grey eyes lit up at the sight of his best friend made him look even more like a little boy.

"Hello!" Lukas said brightly, and James grinned back as he stepped aside and gestured for Lukas to enter.

"Boy, do I have something to tell you!" James exclaimed as they walked up the stairs.

"I have something to tell you, too, but you can go first," Lukas said. "What was so important I had to come over here anyways?"

"Shh!" James put a finger to his mouth as his mother appeared at the top of the staircase.

"Good to see you, Lukas," the woman said, smiling kindly. "How is your mother doing?"

"Oh, she's fine, thanks for asking," Lukas replied, and James' mother nodded and passed them.

"Come down if you want any snacks," she called over her shoulder. "Lukas, I left a cup of tea up there for you as well."

"Thanks, Missus M!" James' mother merely nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. The boys went into James' room and shut the door behind them. They sat on the bed cross-legged, facing each other, and Lukas looked at his friend expectantly.

"I don't want to worry Mum," James said as an explanation for telling Lukas to keep quiet earlier. "Okay, so something really weird happened to me yesterday; I was out jogging, and I ran into this kid. He couldn't have been much older than you or me, but he sure acted like he was . . . Anyway, do you know what he said his name was?"

Lukas shook his head, staring at James with wide, intent eyes.

"Ciel Phantomhive, that's what he said it was! So I asked him if he was related to the Phantomhives from the eighteen-hundreds, but he said he'd never heard of them. I explained about what they did and what happened to them, but Ciel still denied the relation, though he kept looking at me strangely, like he knew more than he was telling me and didn't want me to realize it. Oh, but I forgot to tell you- before I even got to introduce myself, he attacked me!"

"What?" Lukas exclaimed, leaning forward in disbelief.

"Yup- picked me up off the ground! Literally lifted me right off my feet and started calling me 'Alois Trancy', whoever the heck _that _is. Once I convinced him I wasn't Alois, he let me go, but he still seemed pretty ticked off. Actually, he seemed ticked off the whole time . . . But anyway, I told him about the Phantomhives, and then he got a phone call and said he had to go home. The funny thing is, I can't remember what happened after that . . . I remember saying goodbye, and then it gets all hazy; like something's preventing me from remembering."

"Weird," Lukas said, frowning.

"Yeah . . . But you see, the next thing I knew I was down at the docks and it was this morning; apparently I'd fallen asleep behind some crates, though I know I hadn't been anywhere _near_ there when I'd met Ciel . . ."

"That's not good, James," Lukas said, a note of concern in his voice. "What if you'd been hurt?"

"I wasn't, though- I guess I just passed out or something." James shrugged. Then he leaned towards Lukas excitedly. "But you know what else was weird? When Ciel picked me up, I could swear his eyes _glowed_. Well, one was covered with an eye patch, but the other one was glowing this pinkish color! I'm sure of it!"

Lukas was silent, staring down at the covers. James lightly tapped him on the head, trying to get his attention again.

"Hello, anyone home?" he said playfully, and Lukas jumped and looked up at him, startled.

"Sorry! Sorry, I was just thinking . . ." He trailed off, and James cocked his head to one side, instantly interested.

"Thinking what?"

"When you talk about the glowing eye . . . I've been having these weird dreams lately," Lukas admitted sheepishly, twisting a bit of the covers in his hands.

"About what?" James scooted closer and lifted up Lukas' chin, smiling. "C'mon, you can tell me, can't you?"

"Sure, it's just . . . They're about _us,_ James." James shrugged, not seeing why Lukas was so nervous.

"So? I have dreams about us hanging out all the time," he said, but Lukas shook his head.

"No, these are different. They're . . . strange. And I'm not sure if it's even us or not, but if it isn't then it must be our doubles or something." He bit his lip for a moment.

"Well, what are we . . . they doing?" James prompted, now exceedingly curious.

"The dreams are never complete, so I'm not exactly sure. I just keep getting snippets of things, like memories almost. I keep seeing us, or the people who look like us, but they're younger- I guess about eight and six years old, maybe. We're walking around a town, and no one seems to like us, but I don't know why. Then there's a fire . . . and everything's burning . . . and there's this woman- she has dark skin, a silver braid and glowing eyes the same color you said Ciel's was . . . Then suddenly everything's dark and I see myself lying on the ground- I think I'm _dead_. And then you run over and start screaming and crying and shaking me but I won't wake up and you start yelling and then . . . then . . . i-it just g-goes black . . ."

"Hey, hey, calm down!" James exclaimed, alarmed as Lukas started to tremble violently. He quickly wrapped his arms around the younger boy's shoulders, hugging him tightly as Lukas buried his face in his chest.

"I-it's just so r-real!" Lukas moaned, and James patted his head soothingly.

"Lukas, it's just a dream- it doesn't mean anything, trust me. Calm down. It's only a dream, trust me." After a few minutes, the trembling subsided and Lukas sat up, sniffling a bit.

"Geez . . .," James muttered, reaching over to grab a tissue off his nightstand. Lukas took it gratefully and wiped his nose, then threw the used tissue into the trash can by the bed.

"You okay now?" James questioned, lifting Lukas' chin again to examine his face.

"Yeah, I'm . . . fine," Lukas replied. James gave him a look that said he didn't fully believe that, but all the same he let go of his chin and sat back.

"Those are some strange dreams you have," he remarked, and Lukas rolled his eyes.

"Very observant, James." He laughed, and then a serious expression came over his face. "Seriously, though, do you think they mean something?"

"No, I think you've just been watching too many horror movies," James said matter-of-factly.

"But then why do the boys look so much like _us_?"

"You know how people say dreams are subconscious thoughts? Maybe you're thinking of us without realizing it and that's mixing with your dreams."

Lukas nodded; it seemed like a logical explanation. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more, something important that he was missing . . . However, he couldn't figure out what it could be.

"Look, don't worry about it," James said reassuringly, patting his shoulder. "Hopefully they'll go away on their own, but if they don't you could always go see a shrink. Actually, I've been thinking you need to see one for a while now . . ."

"Aw, shut up!" Lukas said, giving James a light punch on the shoulder. His friend laughed, and Lukas felt a little bit better; maybe the dreams _would_ go away on their own, and this was just some weird phase he was going through . . . or something like that.

"So, moving back to that Ciel kid," James said, clapping his hands together. "I think we should investigate him- maybe he could give me a clue or even tell my how the heck I ended up all the way over at the docks."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lukas asked uncertainly. "I mean, the first thing he did when he saw you last time was try to _attack_ you. How do you know he won't do it again?"

"Because he said we'd see each other again soon!"

". . . And that means he won't attack you again?"

"Look, if he wants to attack me so badly, why wouldn't he just do it when I'm not paying attention?"

"Maybe you surprised him?"

"Your argument is getting lamer by the second, Lukas." James smirked and Lukas pouted.

"I just don't think it's a good idea! This kid sounds like he has some issues!"

"All the more reason to investigate!" James' smirk widened. "C'mon, how often do you meet a kid named Ciel Phantomhive?" Lukas was quiet for a moment, and then he let out a huge sigh.

"Fine, I'll help you investigate," he relented, and James punched a fist in the air. "But only because I don't want you doing this alone!"

"Great! Thanks, mate! Okay, we should start right away! Let's go to the library and look at the directory and see if we can figure out where he lives!"

"Are you investigating him or stalking him?" Lukas asked incredulously. James waved a hand impatiently.

"It's crucial to know this type of information when investigating people. Haven't you ever seen any detective shows? That's the first thing they look up!"

"Fine. But why do we have to go to the library? Can't you look it up online?"

"Internet's down."

"Of course." Lukas rolled his eyes again. Suddenly, James clasped his hands in his lap and look innocently at his friend.

"There's a problem, though. You see, my mum won't let me out of the house right now. Do you think you could go look it up for me?"

"James, come on!" Lukas groaned. "Can't you just wait until you can leave? She'll let you out tomorrow, right? That's _one day!_ You can't wait that long?"

"No, no I can't," James said matter-of-factly. Lukas just stared at him. "You know how impatient I am!"

"Do I ever," Lukas muttered. James decided that it was once again time for the "puppy dog" face.

"Please, Lukas?" he asked, doing his best to look an innocent as possible. Lukas looked away, but then glanced back out of the corner of his eye.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" he asked, and James shook his head.

"Nope!"

"Alright, alright, I'll do it. In fact, I'll go right now. Will that make you happy?"

"Yes, very!" James grinned as Lukas slid off the bed and started for the door.

"I'll be back in an hour," Lukas said, pausing to turn around as his hand clasped around the doorknob.

"Great. And keep a look out for Ciel, too, will you? Remember, he has an eye patch and sort of blue-grey hair."

"Blue-grey hair?" Lukas looked at James skeptically.

"Trust me, I know what I saw!"

"Alright, whatever." Lukas was about to turn the doorknob, but James called out to him.

"Be careful, okay?"

Lukas turned around fully and placed a hand over his chest.

"Yes, Your Highness," he said, bowing slightly. He stood up, his grin matching the one on James' face. Then, he exited the room and closed the door behind him, leaving James alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Part III is in the works! Keep an eye out for it! And please review! ^.^**


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